Dec 3, 2007

Retailers’ next ‘Doorbuster’ event — Christmas Eve?By Bill MannMarketWatch.com

SEATTLE (MarketWatch) — This holiday season, anxious retailers are going the extra mile — well, several miles — to boost sales and attract shoppers.

We’ve read about all those “Doorbuster” specials offered on Black Friday, when retailers opened at 12:01 a.m. Some stores even served hot meals — right after Thanksgiving dinner — to warm the bodies freezing in line, shoppers eager to grab hot new toys like Wii’s “Guitar Hero III” or a $24 diamond necklace Wal-Mart dangled in front of early Christmas shoppers. (Well, there goes the diamond cartel!)

Sure, upscale couch potatoes could love the giant-screen HDTV that comes with a catheter.

JCPenney is currently offering wake-up calls to rouse shoppers. (What, no housekeeping service, too?)But it’s going to get even crazier in the days ahead as retailers strive feverishly to stimulate sales. We asked some elves working for big retailers to keep their ears to the ground (easier for them to do) and to find out what we can expect for more attention-grabbing promotions as Christmas approaches. A few of our exclusive findings, in two major areas:

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